MIRI, Nov 12 (Bernama) -- The Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) president Datuk Seri William Mawan says his party has no intention to compete with other Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties in the state which open their doors to opposition candidates who won in the last state election to join them.

While they were now keeping the applications of state assemblymen for Ngemah, Gabriel Adit Demong, and Engkilili, Dr Johnical Rayong, on hold pending the BN supreme council's decision, he said, their intention was to strengthen the BN in Sarawak and to benefit all the component parties.

"It is still within the understanding of the BN and subject to the top leadership's endorsement. There is no point quarrelling about having RM50 on your left pocket and to put it on your right.

"It's nothing because it still belongs to us (Barisan Nasional)," he told reporters after attending SPDP's fourth anniversary dinner here.

Gabriel Adit, who resigned from SPDP to join Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS), another state BN component, in his bid to become the coalition's candidate for Ngemah, decided to stand as an independent and won in the May 20 state election.

Since then he had applied to rejoin SPDP but was objected by PRS.

Rayong, meanwhile, contested under the opposition Sarawak National Party's (SNAP) ticket wrested the Engkilili seat from the BN and his application to join SPDP had put the party in loggerhead with the Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP).

Ironically, the applications by Gabriel Adit and Rayong to join SPDP became added issues that had to be dealt by PRS and SUPP that were experiencing internal crises of their own after the state election.

Mawan said the assemblymen's decision must be viewed positively as they had shown their willingness to become BN's friends while reducing petty politics that would not benefit anyone.

"Now they don't want to criticise (the BN), they don't want to attack us, what's wrong to be friends. You want them to curse us every minute...I don't want (that). We can't be penny wise but pound foolish, " he said.

After its fourth year of formation, he said, SPDP could not afford a rivalry with other component parties and as a matter of self-principle, he never believed in "creating enemies with friends."

Since SPDP's inception on Nov 9, 2002 following SNAP's deregistration, the party had so far wooed a former independent candidate Wong Judat apart from two members of parliament -- Aaron Ago Dagang for Kanowit and Jawah Gerang of Lubuk Antu -- from the deregistered Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS).